The present disclosure is related generally to the field of dental treatments. More particularly, the present disclosure is related to using a dental positioning appliance to facilitate dental implant positioning.
Some dental processes use positioning appliances for realigning teeth. Such appliances may utilize a thin shell of material having resilient properties, referred to as an “aligner”, which generally conforms to a patient's teeth but is slightly out of alignment with the initial tooth configuration.
Placement of such an appliance over the teeth provides controlled forces in specific locations to gradually move the teeth into a new configuration. Repetition of this process with successive appliances that provide progressive repositioning may eventually move the teeth through a series of intermediate arrangements to a final desired arrangement, which then may allow positioning of the dental implant to occur at that time.
Some dental treatments involve a combination of repositioning misaligned teeth and insertion of a dental implant for improved cosmetic appearance and/or dental function. Repositioning of teeth may result from inadequate space to access a desired implant position and/or a desire to provide an improved position for placement of the implant by aligning neighboring teeth.
Repositioning may be accomplished, for instance, by applying orthodontic forces to one or more teeth over a period of time. This may be performed, in some instances, by first aligning the teeth using dental braces, and then placing the implant when the desired implant position has been adequately prepared.
This approach may be beneficial in many instances. However, such a dental treatment sequence may prolong the therapeutic regimen by waiting until dental realignment is complete before initiating positioning of the implant. Potential drawbacks also may include compromised smile appearance when the implant position is in an anterior region of the mouth and/or risks known to be associated with treatments using dental braces, among others.